While I always appreciate a little push (check out all the comments on this blog), asking for concrete examples here seems…pardon me…absurd. You’ll recognize that most of my posts are pretty explicit about what the industry should do about a particular problem. When I explain that product reviews might be a good idea, I explain how from an operations standpoint it might be possible. When I turn to issues around mobile phone compatibility and optimization, I take the time to say precisely how to fix what’s wrong. See for yourself. Your challenge that I should have put together a few ideas for an engaging and creative banner for a pharma brand tells me why there might be an issue within the pharma industry and perhaps advertising in general. The Pringles ad is wonderfully creative (don’t just take my word for it, search Google for some more opinions), but it’s also built around the brand’s character, developed precisely with the target audience in mind, and (imagine this) conceived around some specific marketing objectives.

All too often we set out and create concepts without this understanding and that’s why so much advertising falls flat. Which brand would you propose that I simply whip up a creative banner ad for this time? The next time your agency is struggling with a brief and has no idea how to bring it to life, I’ll take a look for you and post something here, but to create something like the Pringles ad for a brand about which I don’t know the specific details makes little sense. Proposing technical solutions or discussing how pharma companies might handle gaming as a marketing channel is one thing. It speaks to the industry as a whole and requires no specific insight into a particular brand. That’s what this blog is about. You won’t find anywhere on this blog me questioning a creative concept because I think that I know better. I may say that I don’t understand it, but perhaps it’s not for me to understand. As long as the target audience does, then it’s perfect. Without knowing these details, I’m just throwing rotten tomatoes and that gets no one anywhere.

Therefore, if a big pharma company would like to share with me the same creative brief they gave to their current agency that resulted in any existing banner ad, I’ll be happy to take a look and post some alternatives right here on this blog.

You said: “I used to be a pharma marketer, so I haven’t forgotten the rules.” We’ll the rules recently got updated… Just wanted to make sure you knew.

Also, you said: “The last time I checked, the pharma industry wasn’t doing that well at least compared to historical results.” Sure, but neither is the insurance industry, the financial industry, the auto industry… yada, yada.

Government seems to be growing very nicely however. And I just saw a headline that the wine industry seems to prospering (who would have guessed?)…

Since you weren’t sure of my intent I’ll tell you: It was to push back a bit. I would have liked to have read a few concrete ideas along with your critique.
You got my attention but left me dangling.

As one famous TV ad noted: “Where’s the beef?”
Redo a few big pharma ads in your next blog; don’t drop it here. If they are “out there” then you might just land a gig!

- Judy

Outstanding comment. Thanks. I’ve been saying what you’re saying for years. ” The fact is that pharma is fast being left behind – because pharma is, in many ways, competing with consumer attention for Pringles and the such like.” This is absolutely true. Unfortunately, many pharma companies are happy when their creative work is better than the competitor in the same class, but they disregard even other healthcare sites where people might go. Forget about trying to capture someone’s attention when they are simply “surfing.” It’s just not going to happen. Pharma needs to realize that EVERYTHING online is their competitor when it comes to digital. If something is competing for your users’ time online, then you should consider them a competitor. In order to beat any competitor, you have to be better than they are and this includes digital.

I’ve got a post coming out about this sometime this week as a matter of fact.

Stay tuned.